Online Summer School 2021
Theology of the Arts. Does the Church Need Art?
This summer we are offering a repeat of the 2018 one-week online summer school motivated by a significant question posed by Pope John Paul II in his Letter to Artists: Does the Church Need Art? Six lectures will examine current theological debate on beauty and the arts, and consider some of the challenges posed by a contemporary culture of image and sound to the Church’s traditional understanding of the function of sacred art. Hence, we will examine the historical teachings of the Catholic Church concerning architecture, pictorial art, music and literature, and explore ways in which individual art forms harmoniously unite with the worshipping community to create a beautiful house for the Lord.
The course consists of six recorded presentations by Michael Dunleavy OP. The six presentations become available each day, so on day one there will be access to one recording and on day two access to two recordings and so on.
Participants can watch the lectures whenever suits them, and revisit lectures they have already viewed. It is very flexible as it is delivered entirely online from:
8-13 August and again from the 22-27 August.
https://payment.prioryinstitute.com/events/2021-summer-school-reg-form
Throughout the week participants can interact with each other and with Michael Dunleavy OP on our e-learning platform discussion forum. There will also be recommended readings on the platform. There will be a live Zoom discussion on the Tuesday evening following the week long course . No previous study of theology or art is required.